Dump body



June 19, 1923. 1,459,385

E. C.'WILL$ ET AL DUMP BODY Filed April 19, 1922 Patented June 19, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST C. WILLS AND ERNEST S. WILLS, OF CLINTON, IOWA.

DUMP BODY.

AppIication filed April 19, 1922. Serial No. 555,605.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ERNEST C. 'l/VILLs and ERNEST S. \VILLs, citizensof the United States, residing at Clinton, in the county of Clinton,State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Dump Body, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to dump bodies for vehicles such as wagons, carsand the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient body ofthis character which, when the locking means which normally holds it inoperative position is released, will tilt automatically under the weightof the load into discharging position and after the load is dumped willautomatically return to initial position and be locked ready for use.

Another object is to provide a body of this character having a swingingend gate with a latch for holding it closed and equipped with means foropening the gate at any predetermined point during the tilting of thebody to provide for spreading of the material being dumped at anydesired thickness.

Another object is to provide a tilting vehicle body having a swingingend gate which opens automatically on the'tilting of the body, theopening movement of the gate being limited by an adjustable stop.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation of awagon body in operative position, and

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the body in tilted position.

In the embodiment illustrated, a wagon box 1 is shown mounted on asuitable frame 2 and equipped at its rear end with an outwardly andupwardly swinging end or tail gate 3 hinged as shown at 4. Alongitudinally adjustable strap 5 is secured at one side of the wagonbox 1 and extends longitudinally beyond the end of said box having aninturned lip 6 at its free end positioned in the path of the end gate 3to engage said gate and limit its opening movement. This strap 5 isprovided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures 7 throughwhich a set screw is designed to be passed for adustably mounting thestrap on the body to position lip 6 closer or further away from the endof the body Varying the opening movement of the end gate.

The box or body 1 of the vehicle is provided at its front end with acounter-balancing weight 8 for the rear end of the body when empty andinsure the upward swinglng movement of the body to horizontal positlonin which position it is locked by a releasable catch 20 which may be ofany desired construction which is positioned for convenient actuation bythe driver.

The body 1 is pivotally mounted on the frame 9 being pivoted off centerto provide for the tilting rearward thereof when loaded to adapt it todischarge the load in a manner hereinafter to be described. Thesupporting pivot 1 is positioned farther toward the front of the bodythan toward the rear to adapt it to tilt in the manner above set forth.

The truck or wagon frame 9 has a downwardly and rearwardly inclined stop9 positioned to be engaged by the body 1 when tilted to its extremedownward limit to prevent the body passing the dead center so that whenthe load is discharged, the counter balancing weight 8 will operate toreturn it to initial position.

Brackets as 10 extend upwardly and rearwardly from the frame 9 andthrough which the pivots 1 pass. Mounted on these pivots are plates 11each having an arcuate slot 12 therein arranged concentric with thepivot and through which extends a set screw 13 for fastening the platein adjusted position. An arm 11 extends radially from each plate 11 andhas pivotally connected with its free end one end of a rod 14, the otherend of said rod being pivotally connected with the free end of one armof a bell crank lever 15, fulcrumed on the body frame 2 near its rearend and which is designed to operate as a latch for securing the endgate 3 in closed position, the other arm of said lever having a rightangularly extending finger 16 which is designed to engage the lower edgeof; the gate 3 and lock it in closed position as is shown clearly inFig. 1.

From the above description it will be obvious that by adjusting theplate 11 through the set screw 13, the latch 15 may be made to open atany desired point during the tilt ing movement of body 1. This is due tothe fact that the pivot which connects rod 14: with arm 11 is placedabove the pivot 1 so 5 that when the boX 1 tilts, it will exert a pulling' force on latch 15 thereby releasing it from its engagement with theend gate A tilting body constructed as herein shown and described willwhen the locking latch 20 at the front thereof is released, tilt underthe weight of the load therein and thus the tilting of the body willoperate to eXert a pull on the rod 14 swinging the latch 15 into theposition shown in Fig. 2, and thereby 15 releasing the end gate 3 whichwill swing outward until it contacts with the lip 6 on the strap 5. Thematerial will continue to flow out until the entire contents of the bodyis discharged and when this is effected, the

weight 8 at the front of the body will operate'to swing the body tonormal horizontal position, and when it reaches this position, the latch20 will engage the front portion thereof and lock it until furtherrelease by the operator.

We claim The combination with a vehicle frame; of brackets extendingobliquely and rearwardly upward from opposite sides thereof,a.tiltingbody mounted between said brackets and pivotally connected therewith ata point in advance of the center of said body, plates mounted on thepivots of said body having arcuate slots therein concentric with saidpivot, a set screw extending through each of said slots to secure saidplates in adjusted position, an arm extending radially from each plate,a rod pivoted at one end to the free'end of each arm, means for limitingthe tilting movement of the body, said body having an outwardly swingingend gate, a bell crank lever pivoted on said body adj acent said gateand having a lip for engaging the gate to lock it in closed position,said rod being connected with said bell crank whereby tilting of thebody will exert a pull on the rod to release the bell crank.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have heretoaffixed, our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST C. WILLS. ERNEST S. WILLS.

